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Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax E90

Portability
84
Imaging
37
Features
60
Overall
46
Pentax MX-1 front
 
Pentax Optio E90 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
11
Overall
24

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax E90 Key Specs

Pentax MX-1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 391g - 122 x 61 x 51mm
  • Introduced July 2013
Pentax E90
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 32-95mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 145g - 102 x 59 x 25mm
  • Introduced January 2010
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Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax E90 Overview

On this page, we will be contrasting the Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax E90, both Small Sensor Compact cameras and they are both built by Pentax. The sensor resolution of the MX-1 (12MP) and the E90 (10MP) is pretty close but the MX-1 (1/1.7") and E90 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

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The MX-1 was manufactured 3 years later than the E90 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before we go right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief overview of how the MX-1 matches up versus the E90 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Pentax MX-1 over the Pentax E90

 MX-1 E90 
IntroducedJuly 2013January 2010Fresher by 42 months
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kCrisper screen (+690k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax E90 over the Pentax MX-1

 E90 MX-1 

Common features in the Pentax MX-1 and Pentax E90

 MX-1 E90 
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax E90 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and volume. The Pentax MX-1 has exterior measurements of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") and a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs) and the Pentax E90 has sizing of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0") having a weight of 145 grams (0.32 lbs).

Analyze the Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax E90 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have at the time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the MX-1 and the E90.

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax E90 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the MX-1 and E90 is 84 and 94 respectively.

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax E90 top view buttons comparison

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax E90 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizing merely by looking through technical specs. The graphic underneath should offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the MX-1 and E90.

As you have seen, both of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The MX-1 featuring a bigger sensor will make achieving bokeh simpler and the Pentax MX-1 will render more detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more recent MX-1 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax E90 sensor size comparison

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax E90 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax E90 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Portrait photography details
Pentax E90 Portrait photography details
42
focusing manually
has face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
no external flash support
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
19
lack of manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
low MP (10MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Pentax MX-1
Street photography with Pentax E90
65
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW formats
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
heavier than others in class (391 grams)
47
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Sports photography factors
Pentax E90 Sports photography factors
43
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking focus
great battery pack (290 shots)
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
has no phase detect autofocus
16
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
low MP (10MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Travel photography highlights
Pentax E90 Travel photography highlights
61
great battery pack (290 shots)
flash built-in
pretty wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
no Time Lapse recording
heavier than others in class (391g)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
50
has built in flash
missing Timelapse function
low MP (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (32mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Landscape photography details
Pentax E90 Landscape photography details
55
focusing manually
pretty wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW formats
great battery pack (290 shots)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/1.7")
no Time Lapse recording
22
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (32mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no manual control
lack of image stabilization
low MP (10MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
missing Timelapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Vlogging info
Pentax E90 Vlogging info
33
pretty wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
no mic support
heavier than others in class (391g)
22
wide angle not fantastic (32mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external microphone support
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Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax E90 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax MX-1 and Pentax E90
 Pentax MX-1Pentax Optio E90
General Information
Make Pentax Pentax
Model type Pentax MX-1 Pentax Optio E90
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2013-07-01 2010-01-25
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Prime
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 7.44 x 5.58mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 41.5mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4000 x 3000 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 25 3
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 32-95mm (3.0x)
Highest aperture f/1.8-2.5 f/3.1-5.9
Macro focusing distance 1cm 6cm
Crop factor 4.8 5.9
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Display resolution 920 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech TFT LCD with AR coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 1.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 3.50 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Speed sync, Trailing Curtain sync -
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (15 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 391 grams (0.86 lbs) 145 grams (0.32 lbs)
Physical dimensions 122 x 61 x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") 102 x 59 x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 49 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 208 not tested
Other
Battery life 290 photos -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID D-Li-106 2 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots One One
Cost at release $400 $100